Leigeb happy to see Dungy, Colts reach the top

Published 7:00 pm, Monday, February 5, 2007

Count Midland native Brian Leigeb among those happy to see the Indianapolis Colts win the Super Bowl on Sunday.

After all, he spent an entire season on the team.

"It's cool, because you know some of those guys and they're on the biggest stage in the world, and to say you got to play with some of them is quite an honor," said Leigeb, a Dow High graduate who is Central Michigan University's all-time leading tackler and played defensive back for the Colts in 2002.

Leigeb thinks highly of Colts' coach Tony Dungy.

"As far as a coach, he was probably one of the best, if not the best, I ever played for," Leigeb said. " … He is one of the highest character people you will ever meet. He knows he's living his life the right way.

"A lot of the struggles he's gone through have been pretty public, from the criticism that he's not tough enough on his players, to the death of his son. A lot of times he could have changed the way he was doing things, and he didn't. It's a real great story for anyone who's looking for a role model."

Leigeb said that Colts' quarterback Peyton Manning - the Super Bowl MVP - also made a lasting impression on him.

"When I first showed up and signed onto the practice squad (with the Colts), I was the only one in the weight room and Peyton shows up and comes over and introduces himself to me," Leigeb recalled. "He treated everybody there with the same amount of respect.

"To a man, I don't think you'd find a guy (on the Colts) that wouldn't be happy to see (Manning) succeed. I think he was the hardest worker there. If anybody deserved (to win the Super Bowl), it would be him."

Leigeb, 28, holds the CMU record with 486 career tackles from 1997-2000. He had a brief stint with the Buffalo Bills in 2001, signed with the Colts later that season, and played in 16 games for the Colts in 2002. Leigeb finished his NFL career with the Cincinnati Bengals. He also played with the Grand Rapids Rampage and the Los Angeles Avengers of the Arena Football League.